Posts Tagged ‘Badfinger’

Phil Brown was the bassist for the English power pop band, the Records. After earlier being considered to play in Free and Mott the Hoople, Brown was hired by the Records. Formed during the late ’70s, the band went on to build a formidable cult following with some loyalists going as far as calling them the “British Big Star.” Drawing inspiration from the likes of Badfinger and the Raspberries, the Records began putting out records in 1979. That year’s Shades In Bed included the catchy single, “Starry Eyes,” which went on to become one of power pop’s most enduring songs. Although signed to Virgin Records, the band failed to catch on beyond cult status in the US, and split up in 1982. After the Records, Brown collaborated with Kirsty MacColl, Mark Nevin, and Jane Aire. He formed his own band, the Hurt in 1984, and later played in Hollywood Killers. In 2001, Phil Brown was diagnosed with an undisclosed degenerative illness which ultimately took his life on February 2, 2012.

Mal Evans worked as the Beatles’ road manager for many years and also appeared in minor roles on several of their records. He also discovered and produced Badfinger. Evans was working as a bouncer at the Cavern Club in Liverpool when, in 1963, Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, hired him to work with Neil Aspinall as the Beatles’ assistant road manager. Evans’ duties ranged from bodyguard to errand-runner for the band. During the Beatles’ later years, Evans helped out in the studio. He contributed an occasional lyric or two and even played on several records. It was Evans who was manning the alarm clock during the key moment of “A Day in the Life.” In 1968, Evans brought Badfinger to Apple Records and even though he almost no technical experience in the studio, produced several of Badfinger’s songs, including their hit, “No Matter What.” Evans moved to Los Angeles during the early ’70s after he and his wife separated. In December of 1976, his wife asked for a divorce and Evans reportedly fell into a noticeable depression. On January 5, 1976, a friend went to Evans’ apartment to check on him only to find him in an agitated and confused state and in possession of an air rifle. Police were called and demanded Evans put down what they thought was a regular rifle, but he refused. Mal Evans, age 40, was shot and killed by the officers who felt threatened by his actions. The shooting was ruled justifiable.

Pete Ham was the singer and by some accounts, primary songwriter for the British rock band, Badfinger who were signed to the Beatles’ Apple Records in 1968. As a songwriter, Ham is perhaps best know for “Without You,” a song he co-wrote with Tom Evans and which was once called “the killer song of all time” by Paul McCartney. It went on to be a #1 hit for Harry Nilsson, a #3 hit for Mariah Carey, and go to #28 for Clay Aiken. The song was recorded more than 180 times through history. Badfinger had six albums and no fewer than four hit singles, but by the early ’70s the band were caught up in a legal nightmare with their former management that left the members broke. It all became too much for Pete Ham who hanged himself in his garage on April 23, 1975 at the age of 27. In his heart breaking suicide note, he mentioned the love of his girlfriend and included the post script, “Stan Polley is a soulless bastard.” Stan Polley was Badfinger’s manager who was accused by many of his clients of corruption. He would later plead nolo contendere to unrelated embezzlement and money laundering charges.

Harry Nilsson was a critically and commercially successful singer-songwriter who came to prominence during the 1970s. He is best remembered for his hits, “Without You” (actually written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of Badfinger) and “Everybody’s Talkin'” from the Midnight Cowboy soundtrack. Nilsson began his career as a songwriter in the early ’60s and by 1964, he was working for Phil Spector. During those early years, his songs were being recorded by the likes of the Monkees, Glen Campbell, the Shangri-Las and the Yardbirds. He began releasing records under his own name in 1966. Nilsson’s profile was significantly raised when he was embraced and touted by Paul McCartney and John Lennon as their favorite American artist. During the ’70s, Nilsson had a flat in London where he’d stay from time to time. It is notorious for being the location where both Cass Elliot and Keith Moon died four years apart. Nilsson began to slow his career down by the ’80s. After Lennon was murdered in 1980, he devoted much of his time and effort to raising money for gun control organizations. Harry Nilsson suffered a massive heart attack in 1993 and died of heart failure on January 15, 1994. He was 52.

Tom Evans is best remembered as founding guitarist and sometime vocalist for British rock band, Badfinger. Evans had been Liverpool when, in 1967, he was asked to join the Iveys, a Welsh band fronted by Pete Ham. Within a year the band was signed to the Beatles’ Apple Records. The Evan’s penned “Maybe Tomorrow” was the band’s first single and cracked the US top 100. In 1969, the band changed its name to Badfinger to record The Magic Christian which included “Come and Get It,” written by Paul McCartney. Evans sang lead on the track which became a top 10 single around the world. One of Badfinger’s follow-up singles was “No Matter What,” another instantly recognizable hit. As a session player, Evans played or sang on John Lennon’sImagine, George Harrion’sAll Things Must Pass, and Ringo Starr’s “It Don’t Come Easy.” Perhaps Evans’ most famous song as a songwriter was the huge Harry Nilsson hit, “Without You,” co-written with Ham. In 1975, Pete Ham committed suicide, putting an end to the original Badfinger. Evans continued on performing in other bands, including a couple of new versions of Badfinger. On November 19, 1983, Tom Evans, 36, took his own life by hanging from a tree in his yard. It has been speculated that he was overwhelmed by disputes over royalties and legal action that could have potentially destroyed him financially.